Life isn’t a bed of roses for anyone, but sometimes you feel like you walked into a bed of thorns and the flowers appear to be hiding. This past year has been a tricky one for many reasons — not the least of which is that my husband lost his job. He was made redundant from his duties at a leading conglomerate that he had been involved with for 10 years, without any warning whatsoever.

After a year of glowing performance reports and appraisals from the head, he was, one fine day called into a meeting room and handed a letter by his boss that talked about restructuring and doing what was right for the company. Just like that, he had been asked to leave. As soon as this meeting (lasting barely 10 minutes) ended, his access card to the building was blocked and his work email account was suspended.

Shocked beyond belief, he left the meeting room and then proceeded to leave the building for the last time with a few of his possessions. The people who had worked alongside him for years — many of whom were hired by him and reported directly to him — looked on, some with tears in their eyes.

This article is for everyone who lost their jobs, for everyone who felt life has been unfair and for anyone who didn’t get something they really wanted and couldn’t figure out why. You’re not alone — and your anguish makes perfect sense. But if you can be optimistic and positive at this time, you have, in the real sense of the word, won.

As for me, this news hit me like the proverbial tonne of bricks. I knew there were whispers of another wave of lay-offs at his erstwhile company, but I never thought my husband would be on the list too.

Sadly, he was a victim and the higher up you go on the corporate ladder, the harder you fall and the more harrowing the experience.

Following the tide

Life is very different from when we had come to this city some 11 years back. We now have three children, a tonne of responsibilities and dreams that dare us to keep hoping. Our children call this city home — the school, the parks, the streets, the shops are all an integral part of their childhood. I wonder if they’ll ever feel at home anywhere else, but then you go where life takes you; you follow the tide and hope that things fall into place.

These last few days of tears, heartbreak, prayers and job applications have been a roller coaster ride of hope and despair, but they have taught us a lot, and put us in touch with our inner selves. When life throws the big ‘job lemon’ at you, you fully appreciate the fact that there isn’t any certainty in life and you really don’t know what will happen next. This situation has helped us realise that true happiness is in fact in finding faith, which makes you calm and gives you the strength to handle those blasted lemons.

We’ve recognised the fact that family is what really matters and good friends are a blessing, too. We’ve learnt that it’s okay to cry and we mourn our losses, but then we move on and thank everything that did go right. We’ve realised that bitterness, cynicism and pride never helped anyone and that sometimes in life, you need a push to wake you up and make you consider where it is that you’re really headed and what your true goals are.

If it weren’t for genuine desperation, we’d never earnestly call out to the one who made us. He who has a master plan for everything and knows what we do not. It’s about learning to be patient and having the belief that whatever happened was destined to and that there is some good in every situation; a light at the end of every tunnel.

This January, we celebrate our 12th wedding anniversary and with him by my side I can honestly say that I feel like the luckiest woman in the world. My husband has, over the years, proven himself to be an excellent friend and partner, and an exceptional dad to the girls. He is also critic-in-chief of everything I write, which means he is indirectly responsible for all of my published articles!

Ups and downs are a part of life, but if you have someone you trust and love by your side to face them with, things don’t seem quite so terrible anymore. Here’s hoping the New Year will bring with it ease, happiness and new opportunities. To a lifetime together ...

Mehmudah Rehman is a Dubai-based freelance writer.